Essentially there are two types of nucleic acid found in living cells. One is deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”), and the other is ribonucleic acid (♭RNA”). Under normal physiological conditions, both of these nucleic acid molecules are associated with proteins. These proteins can include scaffolding proteins, enzymes, ligases, telomerases, etc. These nucleic acid binding proteins perform functions necessary for normal metabolism and cell/tissue viability.
A significant portion of RNA-binding proteins (“RNP”) mediate post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Heterogenous nuclear RNAs (“hnRNA”) are the primary transcripts of protein encoding genes. These transcripts (hnRNA) are processed in the nuclei of eukaryotic cells and, at least a portion of such hnRNAs, become messenger RNAs (“mRNAs”). From the time hnRNAs emerge from the transcriptional complex, and throughout the time they are in the nucleus, they are associated with proteins termed hnRNA proteins. Members of this family of proteins are required for multiple steps during mRNA metabolism, including pre-mRNA processing and mRNA localization, translation and stability. The majority of proteins associated with RNAs appear to be associated with hnRNAs and mRNAs in hnRNP and mRNA complexes.
However, some disease processes appear to involve the formation of RNA-mediated protein agglomerations. These agglomerations have been shown to be associated with neuronal cell death and brain wasting disease. Spongiform encephalopathies, often involved with certain neuronal cell death and brain wasting syndromes, characteristically have protein plaques or agglomerations made manifest upon dissection. In spongiform encephalopathies, prions are thought to be the etiologic agent. Prion-based diseases result from “infectious proteins” that are involved in protein agglomeration.
It is believed that these protein agglomeration diseases are associated with certain RNA molecules. For example, viral RNPs and their concomitant RNA and protein components define much of the disease processes involved in viral pathogenicity (e.g., HIV, Dengue virus, etc.). With this in mind, bacterial and viral RNP complexes are considered to be attractive diagnostic targets.
A need currently exists for compositions and methods that can be used in the detection of proteins involved in the pathogenic agglomeration process.